As the jet touched down back at the base camp, the Captain addressed the team one last time before they dispersed. "We reconvene first thing in the morning. Get some rest, gather what intel you can, and be ready to move out. We've only just scratched the surface."
With the DataCore in hand, the Captain departed swiftly, heading toward the secure labs where the core would be analyzed. His mind was already racing with the possibilities of what they might uncover, the critical information that could shape the next phase of their mission.
The rest of the team went their separate ways, eager to relax, resupply, and, most importantly, seek out the answers to the questions gnawing at them.
Steve made his way to the command center, hoping to find out if the Foundation had detected any signs of life across the globe. His thoughts lingered on the potential survivors—small pockets of humanity that might still be out there, fighting for survival against the relentless machines. He needed to know if there was anyone left to save.
Meanwhile, Lena and Bruce headed toward the research wing, where they hoped to engage with other scientists who might have insights into mutants and the mysterious X-gene. The possibility of understanding the mutation that had caused such a catastrophic shift in this world was too intriguing for them to ignore. They were determined to share their theories and learn as much as they could from the data the Foundation had already gathered.
The base camp buzzed with activity. Scientists, soldiers, and agents moved with purpose, the excitement and tension of the mission palpable in the air. The confirmation that they were indeed in a world ravaged by the Sentinel program had unleashed a wave of research efforts, with many resources being funneled into understanding the X-gene and its implications.
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[SITE-009]
Less than one hour after the jet carrying the data core touched down, Alexander, back in the real world, had already received the news.
In fact the only reason it took even that long was that every transmission back to their world had be go through many different security checks.
The news, and the confirmation of his earlier theory that came along with it was welcome news indeed. There were countless worlds out there, some far more dangerous than others.
The mutants were indeed powerful, some truly so. But the Foundation could deal with such a threat, just as they should be able to deal with the Sentinals, which meant this world wasn't a too big a threat in itself.
And since it wasn't a great threat, it could be considered a resource instead, one that just needed to be claimed as their own.
Personally, Alexander hoped that there were still people alive. In particular, he hoped that he could find some living mutants. The X-gene was likely the most valuable resource in that world, and he wanted it.
If they could make their own mutants, they would be able to make some powerful MTFs from them. Rather than the foolishness of that world where everyone wanted to kill mutants, he and the Foundation would be far more interested in making more.
Not trying to steal the powers of all that, not just picking what power someone got when their X-gene awoke, would be an incredible boon for the Foundation and its mission.
Alexander's mind was already working on the logistics. He needed teams that could locate any surviving mutants, secure them, and bring them back to the Foundation for study. At the same time, he would need to devise a way to contain and control the X-gene's activation, ensuring that any mutants they created would be loyal and useful assets.
Not to mention that they would also have to deal with the sentinels and their robot army, something that wouldn't be easy, though it also wouldn't be too difficult either. After all, as the team he had sent in had already demonstrated, the Sentinals couldn't unleash their full power against humans.
A full mutant killing power, he might have to take them far more seriously, but if one of them could be taken out by only three of the first battle-ready iron suits, then they weren't much to worry about at all. The Foundation had many means better than that.
In terms of better suits and other means, they would only gain more means as time passed and more SCP objects and Foundation resources were summoned.
As Alexander continued to contemplate the broader implications of the mission, his thoughts were interrupted by a soft chime from his communication console. He glanced at the screen, recognizing the incoming message as an encrypted priority transmission from one of the Foundation's field commanders overseeing the operations in the parallel world.
He tapped a button, and the voice of the field commander came through, crisp and clear.
"Overseer, sir, initial analysis of the DataCore has begun. We've established a secure connection to relay the data back to Site-7995. Preliminary findings suggest the core contains detailed logs of Sentinel operations, including their protocols for identifying and neutralizing mutants. There's also a significant amount of data on the production and deployment of the smaller drones."
Alexander leaned forward, his interest piqued. "Any indications of where the Sentinels might be manufacturing these drones?"
"Not yet, sir," the commander replied. "We're still sifting through the data. It's heavily encrypted, but our tech teams are making good progress. However, there's one piece of information that stands out—references to a 'primary control node.' It seems to be the central hub for coordinating all Sentinel activities across the globe. If we can locate and disable it, we might be able to shut down the entire network."
Alexander's mind raced at the idea. "It feels much too easy for that to be the case; maybe once they had such a facility, but when they went rogue, there is no way humans didn't attempt to destroy it if it ever excited."
Alexander felt it was likely that this part of the recovered data was a trap, likely one made by the humans when they first unleashed the sentinels. Knowing that some of the more powerful mutants might be able to take down a sentinel, it wouldn't have been strange to make plans in that case.
Alexander considered the implications of the information. If the "primary control node" was real and still intact, it could be the key to shutting down the Sentinels. But the possibility that it was a trap designed by desperate humans as a last-ditch effort to eliminate mutants couldn't be ignored. The Foundation had to proceed with caution, balancing the potential rewards with the risks.
"Continue the analysis," Alexander ordered, his voice firm. "Focus on corroborating the existence of this control node. If it's a trap, we need to know before we commit resources. Also, prioritize any data on the locations of surviving mutants or human enclaves. We need to secure those individuals before the Sentinels can wipe them out—or worse, before they turn against us."
"Understood, Overseer," the commander replied. "We'll report back as soon as we have more concrete information."
The transmission ended, leaving Alexander alone with his thoughts once more. The prospect of a central control node was tempting. If they could find and neutralize it, the Sentinels would be powerless, and the world would be theirs for the taking. But Alexander was too seasoned to fall for what seemed like an easy solution.
He leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled as he contemplated the next steps. The data core was the key—whether it held the truth or a cleverly disguised lie, it would shape the Foundation's strategy moving forward. He needed to be prepared for every possibility, including the chance that they were being led into a dangerous false sense of security.
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[Parallel world]
Reports were flying out left and right of the base camp while orders here coming in in response to the new information they unearthed as they worked over the sentinel datacore.
Within the command center where Steve was, he was relieved to find out that one of the new and most important missions was to find and aid survivors.
He didn't often agree with the Foundation's leadership's decisions, often finding them too focused on the result and not caring about the cost at all. This time, however, he was glad that they seemed to agree on something.
Truthfully, he already wanted to be out there and looking for people, he was well aware that even now the army of robots was hunting down people and killing anyone they found. He was however also aware that he couldn't just go out there without a goal in mind.
He would likely not be able to easily find anyone, given that anyone still alive had to be hiding really well or be heavily defended. He couldn't just waste time wandering around looking for people either, which was why he was here, waiting. Waiting for the Foundation to hopefully find something in the datacore.
A/N
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